for all Muslims. The knowledge required of them cannot therefore be obscure, attainable only through a lengthy, difficult and perilous method, when acquiring such knowledge is impossible or difficult in most circumstances.
This is why those who have followed this method speak without knowledge, while disagreeing among themselves about it. Their familiar points of reference are al-Jady and the celestial pole. Some of them say:
“The pole is al-Jady, and it is a faint star.”
This is wrong in three respects: the pole is not al-Jady; al-Jady is not a faint star, but a bright one; and the pole is not a star at all.
Others say:
“Al-Jady is a faint star.”
This too is mistaken. Most of them say that the pole is a faint star, and report two opinions concerning whether the pole revolves or not. This is a confusion of distinct things. The pole, which is the centre of rotation, does not shift from its position, just as the spindle of a millstone does not shift from its position. There is, however, a small, faint star near it. If this star is called the pole, it is so named because it is the nearest star to the pole. This star does revolve: the stars unquestionably revolve, while the centre of rotation, which is their pole, unquestionably does not. Reporting two opinions on this matter is therefore the speech of someone who has failed to distinguish between the two.
The readily visible point of reference is al-Jady. Using it to establish exact alignment with the Kaaba is possible only at certain times, not at all times. For when the sun is in the middle of the sky, when shadows are at their shortest, the pole is aligned with the Syrian corner of the House, which lies to